The Difference Between Life and Living
by Mew Draiku
Summary: [YM x M] Marik has just died. When he gets to the Afterlife, he has black wings. One of the workers there tells him that in order to change the color of his wings, he must make a person who's never been happy in their life happy. But who works for that?


Mew: In class one day, someone brought up a controversial topic. I guess you could say that that was what sprung the idea for this story. If you're wondering what that topic was, then you'll just have to read this.

Draiku: That's almost evil.

Mew: What's almost evil?

Draiku: -sigh-

Mew: Anyway, the setting of this fiction takes place in the Afterlife—a place for everyone of every single religion, or non-religion, in an atheist's point of view. It's not Heaven, but Hell is mentioned here. I was originally going to call it the Underworld, but eh. Hell is more universal, if you ask me.

OH. And this is LOOOOONG. 27 pages on MS Word. I didn't really want to chop it up, since I think it makes more sense as one, big ficlet. So if you happen to be browsing before school, you might not want to read this unless you have a nice chunk of time before the bell rings.

Disclaimer: Mew Draiku doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh in any way, shape, or form. So sad for her. –sobs-

The Difference Between Life and Living

Marik's eyes were dull and emotionless as he stared ahead blankly, lying against the wall. Blood trickled down his forehead in a continuous flow, starting at the top of his head and ending on the floor or his body. His hair was matted with the sticky, red liquid, and his face was stained. It had trickled into his mouth, making him want to gag. But he couldn't move.

_Huh…_ he thought numbly, _so I'm dying._ His vision became blurred and strained, as his thoughts eventually did. _Can't…die…want…live._

_Who did this?_ he wondered, straining to think. He could just barely remember a face, with eyes shaded by dark brown bangs. _Seto!_ he mentally exclaimed, and nearly laughed. Seto was his friend from school—who would have known that he'd end up killing Marik?

Finally, Marik allowed himself to close his eyes forever.

-

Marik opened his eyes. The only thing he saw was white for a moment, then he felt himself being lifted and moved.

"Huh?" he mumbled drowsily, as though he'd just died and returned to life. Then he remembered—he had died. He looked past his feet and saw a man carrying him, then he craned his head up and saw another man behind him who was helping the first. It was like he was on a stretcher.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked in a slurred tone.

"To the Hospital, of course," the man behind him said.

"I've already died," Marik insisted.

"Yes, but your physical soul needs a bit of repairing and cleaning up," the man in front of him said. "Just wait and you'll be fitter than a fiddle." Marik groaned and let his head fall to the stretcher. Suddenly, the men jumped up and flew. Marik let out a cry of surprise as light-blue wings burst from their backs, and they were sucked into a golden tunnel. They immediately were on the other end of the tunnel, in a foggy, grassy place. Beside him were two rather small, pearly gates. They looked just like a short, chain fence's gates. The only difference was that they were white instead of silver.

The men dashed him into a hospital, and they lied him onto a table. A doctor immediately began washing his hair, being gentle and avoiding one spot.

"Welcome to the Heavenly Hospital, my friend. What's your name?" he asked.

"Um…it's Marik," the confused teenager replied.

"My, you're young. How'd you die?"

"I think that I was killed by my friend," Marik muttered. The doctor shook his head while ripping a feather out of his blue-colored wing. It instantly grew back, though. He used the feather to touch Marik's throbbing head, and suddenly, all pain Marik was experiencing was gone. The feather became dust and sprinkled over his face.

"Shame. It's always the people you trust the most," the doctor said. "Anyway, that's it. I hope you have a good time in the Afterlife." He smiled and Marik was instantly grabbed by a woman who, like the rest of the official workers, had a set of beautiful, sky-blue wings.

"Welcome! I'm here to lead you to the Pearly Gates!" she said with a grin.

"Okay, but wouldn't I recognize them?" Marik asked. She just laughed.

"I suppose, but you also need your wings," she said. "Step over this way, please." She had him step onto a scale with not numbers, but a black and white gradient. His "weight" ended up at the far end of the gradient, on black. Marik paused and she sweatdropped.

"Um…what does that mean?" he asked.

"You've sinned quite a bit, haven't you?" she said. He looked away.

"Am I going to Hell?" he asked in a mumble.

"Hell doesn't exist for you," she replied simply. "You're forgiven." He gasped.

"What??!" he exclaimed.

"The gods and goddesses of the Afterlife all are very kind people. They forgive almost anyone," she said with a smile. "As long as you haven't killed someone innocent, then you're forgiven." A pair of black raven wings suddenly appeared on his back, and he gasped. She grinned and grabbed his arm again. "Come on! Now we're going to go to the Pearly Gates!" She flapped her own wings and tugged him along, making him have to flap his own just to keep up. Finally, she stopped in front of the two, small, insignificant-looking gates. He paused for a long time.

"These are the Pearly Gates?" he said dully. She nodded. "I was expecting them to be a lot…bigger." She sweatdropped.

"Well, whatever. Budget issues, alright? Anyway, go on through." He blinked.

"Just…walk in?" he said. She nodded. He opened the gates and stepped inside. There was no feeling of utter euphoria, no blasting trumpets, not even cheers. It was just like walking through a normal gate. The grass wasn't even greener on this side of the fence.

"That's it?" he said. She nodded again. "Okay. Well, thank you," he said.

"Hope you enjoy the Afterlife!" she called as she flew away. Marik blinked and stepped into the Afterlife. He peered through the fog and saw a beautiful city, decorated with images of angels and every single religious symbol ever, plus a few he'd never seen before. A tour guide was walking by, pointing out the symbols to a group of people.

"The Afterlife is just the 'heaven,' so to say, of every single religion ever invented. Even one-man religions. Even atheists have a spot up there," he said.

"Where is it?" a child from the crowd asked.

"See that blank spot between the Star of David and the Cross? That's the atheists' symbol," the man said with a laugh. The group moved on. Marik walked through the city and noticed that everyone here, except the workers for the gods, as he'd figured out, had grey wings, even children, but their wings were a bit lighter. People stared at his black wings, and he naturally felt uncomfortable.

_That makes sense,_ he thought, _The shade of your wing determines the amount you've sinned. Everyone sins, so I doubt that I'll see anyone with pure-white wings._ He frowned and looked at his black wings. _Looks like I'm the worst one here. Well, that's a comforting thought._

He sighed and continued walking through the city, still unable to see anyone with pure-white wings. He came upon a town directory, and grabbed a pamphlet.

"'Homes in the Afterlife are entirely free. Just think of what you want, where you want it, and it will appear,'" he read aloud. "I guess that it needs to be in a clear place," he mumbled, looking up. He continued walking through the town until he came upon a clear spot between two buildings, and decided to set up his home there. He imagined a normal, two-story house with a basement and an attic, doing a 3D walkthrough of it in his mind. Slowly, it began forming from the top down, and he looked over it, quite proud of it. He walked inside and began furnishing it to his liking, then sat down on the couch and sighed contently.

"This place is actually kind nice," he mumbled aloud. The doorbell rang, and he quickly answered it.

"Welcome to the Afterlife," the visitor said with a grin. He was obviously a worker for all the gods, since he had blue wings. "I'm Ryou. I see that you've figured out how to get a home?"

"Yeah. So I take it that there's no such thing as money here?" Marik asked. He looked over the man. He had pale skin and white hair, and was wearing a simple, blue-striped shirt and jeans.

"Correct. The only time we use money is to demonstrate the effects it has on a nation or other area. For instance, a country won't help another country unless it directly profits or protects them. The US is a fine example of that situation," Ryou said.

"Ah, I see," Marik said. "Um, would you like to come in?" he asked, not knowing how to speak to one of the workers for the gods. Ryou laughed.

"I suppose I could take a little break for a moment. And don't feel afraid or shy of me just because I work for the Deities. I died just like everyone else here, then was appointed as an employee for them. I'd like you to think of me as an equal, and possibly a friend," he said.

"Okay," Marik replied, still a little uncomfortable. He stepped aside and Ryou sat down in the living room.

"You have fine tastes. What's your name?" Ryou asked. Marik blinked.

"Oh. Um, sorry I didn't tell you before. Anyway, it's Marik," he said. "And thank you." He paused. "I've been wondering. People here seem to stare at my wings a lot, and…I was wondering if the coloration is permanent."

"The wings' color isn't permanent. You can make them pure white with black-tipped ends if you make someone happy. However, there are a few requirements. They must have never been happy in their entire life. They must also have pure-white wings. And after you've made them happy, they will decide if you're worthy," Ryou said. Marik groaned.

"There isn't anyone like that," he mumbled. "Everyone has sinned before, even little children." Ryou chuckled.

"You'd be surprised, Marik," he said. He paused as well. "If you don't mind me asking, what did you do to get black wings?" Marik paused yet again.

"I accidentally killed someone," he murmured, looking down. "Jou and I were playing at the skate park when I was fourteen. It was kinda snowy outside, so we were dressed with gloves and hats and whatnot. We were playing on the half-pike, when I shoved him. He slid down on the snow, and broke his neck. He died almost instantly. I didn't know what to do, so I ran. He was found a few hours later, but I hadn't left any DNA evidence or fingerprints. His death was listed as 'accidental' in the obituaries." He brought a hand up to his face. "That was three years ago. I still feel guilty.

"I'm so sorry," Ryou murmured, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know exactly who you're speaking of. If you like, I could take you to him." Marik shook his head.

"I could never face him!" he whispered.

"I understand. I spoke to him when he first arrived, like I do to everyone, and he said that he forgives you." Marik gasped and looked up.

"But…I took his life," he mumbled. Ryou smiled.

"It doesn't take much to learn to forgive here, Marik," he said. "Well, I'd best be off. I have work. See you soon, Marik." He waved and left, Marik watching him go. Marik sighed and decided to explore the town a bit. He just walked around, not knowing exactly where he was going or what he was doing. Finally, he came upon a secluded park.

On a stone pedestal in the center of that park sat a boy with pure white wings.

Marik gasped, eyes widening with wonder and amazement. He'd already found someone with a pure soul!

The boy looked at him, folding his wings slightly.

And then he glared.

"What are you staring at??!" he demanded angrily, flapping his wings once and jumping off the pedestal. He landed neatly and strutted over to Marik, glaring venomously. "Have you never seen someone with white wings before??! Is that why??!" Every word he said came out sharply, like knives flying through the air and cutting Marik's ears.

"A-actually," Marik mumbled and the boy stopped in front of him and looked him straight in the eye. He was a few inches shorter than Marik, yet he stood with authority. "Y-yeah. I've never seen someone with white wings. Well, since I arrived here, at least." The boy rolled his violet eyes and flipped his blonde hair behind his shoulder with a tanned hand.

"And when did you arrive here?" he murmured, raising a slender eyebrow. Marik paused.

"Um…just today," he muttered. The teen in front of him chuckled quietly to himself, eyeing Marik's wings.

"I see…" he said. "I suppose you killed someone to get wings that color, ne?" Marik looked away, gritting his teeth slightly.

"Y-yes," he replied.

"And I suppose that Ryou told you how to get differently-colored wings?"

"Yeah." It was as though this kid could read Marik's mind!

"Well, too bad. You've found your white-winged individual, but I will not allow you to get white wings," he said. Marik paused.

"But…why?" he asked. "Everyone keeps glaring at me. I just want them to stop."

"Deal with it. People stare at me all the time," the teen snarled. "But it isn't an angry or fearful stare. It's a stare that makes you feel helpless, a stare that makes you feel completely vulnerable. A stare that makes you want to be someone, anyone else. If you get white wings like mine, you'll get those stares. Do you really want that?" Marik paused again.

"I…" He cut off.

"Exactly. Either way, you'll be ostracized and left out. Except you'll have to do something for me just to be ostracized and left out," he said. He turned around and began to walk away.

"Wait!" Marik called. "At least tell me your name." The boy paused and looked over his shoulder, glaring.

"Malik," he said. "That's what I go by." He flapped his wings and flew away, disappearing into the sky. Marik stared after him, turned around, and returned home. He picked up the phone and dialed Ryou's number, which he found in the phonebook.

"Hello?" Ryou said over the connection. Marik sighed.

"It's me, Marik," he said. "What do you do if the person with white wings hates you?"

"That could be a problem. Are you talking about Malik?" he asked.

"Yeah," Marik said, surprised that Ryou knew.

"Then give up on him. He's notorious for being bitter and unforgiving," Ryou said. Marik blinked.

"I see," he said softly. "But why is he so bitter in the first place?"

"He's never told anyone," Ryou replied. "You can't ask me, because no one knows how someone died except the person in question. He probably died while being born, or something like that. If you really want to know, you could ask him, but he most likely won't tell you."

"I understand," Marik said. "Maybe I should just give up on this entire thing?"

"If you think that it's hopeless, yes," Ryou said gently.

"Okay. Thanks, Ryou," Marik said. They hung up and Marik sighed again. He sat back on his couch, stretching his wings out so he wouldn't crush them.

_Should I give up?_ he wondered silently. _He's totally…closed. Like he doesn't want anyone even close to him. I should just give up on the white wings._ He got up and stretched, then took out the pamphlet with all the information in it.

'People do not eat in the Afterlife; it would only create unnecessary waste. You do not need to sleep either, but most tend to sleep just to relax. You also don't need to breathe.' Marik blinked, and held his breath. Five minutes passed, and he wasn't even dizzy. He took in a gasp of air, somewhat afraid of what it felt like not to breathe.

"This place is insane!" he muttered. He looked back to the pamphlet.

'People in the Afterlife can only exit through the Diamond Hole in the ground if they want to go to the Living World. However, at the moment only those with special privileges, such as Archangels and Messengers, can go through the Diamond Hole.' Marik snickered slightly.

"What kind of name is that?" he wondered aloud, and set the pamphlet down. He left his house and decided to look around some more, and also to find the Diamond Hole. After walking around for nearly an hours, he found it at the edge of the city. Then he realized that its name really did suit it, for that was exactly what it was.

The ground beside him yawned, revealing a hole covered—absolutely covered—in a huge diamond. It looked as though someone had poured molten diamond into a container, then poured it back out so it touched all the edges. Further down, the diamond broke apart, and became mere parts of the large one. Occasionally, a small diamond would break off and fall into the Living World.

"Amazing," Marik breathed.

"Yes, it is," a guard next to him said with a grin. "All of the diamonds in the Living World come from right here. They fall deep into the earth, so scientists think that they come _from_ the earth."

"I see. No wonder they're so expensive," Marik mumbled. "So, will normal people ever be allowed to go down there?" The guard shook his head.

"'Fraid not, kid," he said. "Y' see, a few years back, some punks snuck down there and went on a rampage. They actually killed living humans while they were down there, so that's why no one will ever be allowed down there again."

"Ah." Marik frowned slightly.

"What's wrong, kid?"

"I was killed, you see. So I never got a chance to say goodbye to my friends and family," Marik said, suddenly feeling a pang of depression shoot throughout his body. "Is there any way I could…you know…wish them well?" The guard paused.

"I suppose so. Technically, you wouldn't be allowed to because of your wings, but oh well. See that road over there? Follow it until you come to a large building with a golden door. Tell them that the password is 'greetings.'" Marik grinned and nodded. He quickly thanked the guard, and hurried down the street.

Suddenly, he gasped.

Standing in line at a building was Seto. The other teen didn't have black wings, though. He had bright, red wings. The other people in the line had red wings as well. Marik continued to stare, and finally, the people all went inside. Marik peered in through one of the windows.

"You all have taken away the lives we graciously gave you," a woman standing in front of the group said. "But before you did so, you took the lives of others who didn't want to die in the first place. For that, you will undergo two-thousand years of agony, followed by one-thousand years of nothingness. After the punishment is over, you will return here and 'live' as you normally would." Marik gasped, eyes widening.

"Now, hold on!" he yelled, jumping in. Everyone in the room turned and stared at him, except Seto, who gasped as well. "Isn't that a little harsh? Clearly, they regret what they did because they killed themselves after they killed someone else!"

"Sir, rules are rules. We can't change the punishment," she said. "Unless their victims forgive them, they're subjected to the punishment."

"Well, I can speak for all the victims when I say that we forgive our murderers. Besides, it's so much better up here—I mean, you can fly! The punishment system needs to be changed," Marik said to the woman. She paused, biting her lip.

"Fine," she said. "All of you are free to go." The people cheered and left, except for Seto, who hurried over to Marik.

"You…forgive me?" he said, stunned. Marik nodded.

"Yeah. You must've had some reason to kill me," he said. "Why, though?" Seto paused.

"You killed Jou," he said in a mutter. "I saw you two at the skate park one day, while I was passing by."

"You knew Jou back then?" Marik asked.

"Knew him? I loved him!" Seto said, and Marik's eyes widened. "When he died…I knew that I'd never get to be with him because he was gone forever. I thought that you did it on purpose for some reason…so I wanted to get revenge for him."

"I'd never kill anyone on purpose," Marik said gently. "It was purely accidental. He's here, though, so you can tell him. Don't blame me if he rejects you, though." He laughed slightly.

"Marik," Seto said softly, "I'm sorry for killing you. I never should have even thought of doing that." 

"It's alright. You didn't know," Marik said. "Come on. We're both new here. Let's just hang out together until we figure out what the hell this place is." Seto nodded and they walked out of the building.

"I take it you don't have a house yet?" Marik said.

"I just got here a few minutes ago," Seto said dully. Marik laughed and handed him the pamphlet that he'd been using.

"Then you may want this. It's really helpful," he said. Seto nodded and browsed through it curiously.

"We don't eat here?" he mumbled.

"Yeah. Weird, huh?" he said. Seto nodded in agreement. They walked together for a while longer, and finally went their separate ways. Seto went off to find Jou's home, while Marik just wanted to see if there were any more pure-white winged people. He searched for hours, but couldn't find a single one. He did, however, come across Malik again.

"What do you want now?" Malik sneered.

"Nice to see you too," Marik said sarcastically. "I just…wanted to know how you died." Malik glared venomously. "I mean, if you _want_ to tell me. You don't have to," Marik added quickly.

"Just leave me alone," Malik growled, turning away from Marik. Marik paused and pouted slightly.

"Come on," he said. "Why are you so bitter all the time? Did you die while you were being born or something?"

"You're only after my wings!" Malik yelled, flicking around to glare at Marik. "If I ever give you one of my feathers, you'll leave me right after! I _know_ you will!" Marik blinked, stunned.

"No I wouldn't," he replied simply. "By the time you'd do that, we'd be friends, right? I wouldn't leave you at all." Malik narrowed his eyes.

"I still don't trust you," he hissed.

"Fine. You don't have to," Marik said and shrugged.

"Why do you want these wings so much?" Malik mumbled.

"Well, so people stop fearing me. But also, Ryou told me to forget about ever meeting you. I figured that if he tells that to everyone who meets you, then you'll be stuck here in an eternity of unhappiness and bitterness," Marik explained.

"I like being bitter," Malik scoffed.

"Then that means that it's probably all you know," Marik said. "How about you just give me a chance?" Malik paused, looking him over, and a sly smirk crept across his face.

"Fine. But you'll crash and burn, I guarantee it," he said in an evil-sounding tone. Marik shrugged again. "What are we doing first, then?"

"First, how about we go for a walk or something? We could just talk," Marik suggested, feeling quite stupid right now.

"Fine," Malik said again. They walked around aimlessly until they came to a park. There they sat down on one of the many benches.

"How did you die?" Malik asked, looking to Marik curiously.

"I was killed," Marik replied simply. "A friend of mine knocked me over the head with a bottle or something."

"Friend? Wouldn't it be 'enemy?'" Malik said, raising an eyebrow. Marik shook his head.

"I forgave him. I admit that I will miss my family and all, but they'll arrive here sooner or later. Hopefully later," he explained. "How did you die?" Malik looked away.

"I…I loved my mother. A lot. She practically created me," he muttered, resting his elbows on his knees. "I didn't know my father at all. All I had was my mother." Marik raised an eyebrow, confused. "She was protecting me constantly when I was helpless. Then…one day, she killed me." Marik gasped, eyes widening, and Malik sighed. "I hadn't even taken a breath yet. I still had about six or seven months left. She went to the doctor's and requested to have me aborted. Of course, I didn't even know what that meant yet—my mind still hadn't formed completely. The next thing I knew, I was being torn from my mother's womb, and I was discarded. Like trash." He scowled and fisted his hands. "I guess you could say that I was lucky that those guys from the Hospital got me. They took me here—my soul, at least—and put me in a room where I grew faster than normal. I came out, and I was fully-formed, as though I'd actually been born. I was given white wings, then was put in a Day Care for people who were babies when they died."

"What…what happened to your mother?" Marik muttered. Malik cringed, then smirked. He chuckled at first, and finally began laughing loudly.

"She killed herself a year after she killed me. She's burning in Hell now," he said with a grin, "and she will forever."

"But…but shouldn't there be more white-winged people here, then?" Marik stammered. Malik snickered under his breath.

"Their souls can be seen by scavenging animals in the junkyard. Figure the rest out yourself," he said, and flew away.

-

Marik dialed Ryou's number into his phone when he returned home. He was shaking, horrified by Malik's story.

"Hello?" Ryou said into the phone. It was late at night, but he didn't sound at all tired.

"Malik has white wings because he was aborted when he was in his mom's womb!" Marik blurted into the phone. There was a moment of silence, then he heard a gasp. Marik almost sighed with relief. He needed to get that out. Badly.

"You're joking," Ryou whispered.

"No. He told me today," Marik replied, and sat down on the couch.

"Well…it does make sense. The bitterness towards everyone else, the white wings. He told you?"

"Yeah. I promised that I'd stay with him even after he gave me a feather, so he's giving me a chance. We were chatting and I asked him how he died. He told me everything," Marik said.

"He was extremely lucky, if he was aborted, then. I mean, most of the time, we lose people who have been aborted to animals," Ryou murmured sadly.

"What am I supposed to do, then??!" Marik begged. "He's never felt happiness in his life—I mean, existence! How can he possibly know if I'm doing the right thing or not??!"

"There are a lot of things he hasn't experienced yet. Think about it," Ryou said, and hung up. Marik stared into space, and looked at the phone. He finally hung up as well, and groaned, sitting on the couch.

"Stupid Ryou, being so confusing," he mumbled. He sighed, swung his legs up, and thought. If you had died before you were even born, you'd obviously missed out on a lot of things. An entire _universe_ of things. But what would be the most missed? Or rather, what could you do in life that you couldn't do in the Afterlife? Marik suddenly gasped, and sat up. He flew out of his home and found Malik, sitting in the park again.

"Well?" Malik said dully, looking to him. Marik just grinned.

"Come on. I have a great idea," he said. Malik raised an eyebrow at him.

"What is it?" he asked warily.

"Just come on, alright? You'll like it—I promise," he said, and grabbed Malik's hand. Malik tore away from him.

"If it involves anything to do with moving from this spot, I'm not coming," he said stubbornly. Marik grabbed him around the waist and ran.

"Well, too bad!" he yelled. Malik glared.

"Put me down, you bastard!" he demanded, hitting Marik's back. Marik ignored him and took him to the Diamond Hole. He peered around. Thankfully, the guard from earlier was snoozing. He grinned.

"Now be quiet," he said to Malik, who'd long ago given up. Malik just nodded, and they jumped into the Diamond Hole and out of the Afterlife.

"How do we get back??!" Malik asked frantically.

"We'll figure that out later. Just come on! Let's fly!" Marik said, grinning. He gripped Malik's hand tightly, and they spread their wings. Malik put on a dazed expression and closed his eyes, letting the breeze caress his face. Marik just had to smile at him. "We're almost there," he said, looking down. Malik blinked.

"What is this place?" he asked, looking to Marik.

"I dunno. A city somewhere," Marik replied with a shrug. Malik frowned as they landed in the street.

"This place is weird," he said.

"That's life for you," Marik said with a smirk. They stopped in front of a Chinese restaurant.

"And what's this place? I've never seen anything like it," Malik commented.

"It's called a restaurant. Let's go in," Marik replied.

"Don't we have to pay or something?" Malik asked.

"No. They can't see us. We're dead," Marik said and grinned. Malik frowned and looked around. They walked straight into the kitchen. "Here," Marik said, picking up a bowl of rice. "Try this."

"What is it? And what's that supposed to mean?" Malik growled.

"It's rice. And that means you eat it," Marik explained.

"You don't eat when you're dead," Malik said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, but who says that you can't?" Marik replied. "Just take a bite."

"Fine," Malik said, and grabbed the bowl. Since the chopsticks were impossible to work, Malik just used a fork. He chewed and swallowed. After a moment of silence, Malik blinked. "That felt…weird," he commented. "Where does the food go if you're dead?"

"I dunno. It probably just disappears," Marik said with a shrug. "Come on. Let's go to the buffet and eat." Thankfully, there was no one in the restaurant to see the floating plates and food.

"This is actually pretty good," Malik said, biting down into some chicken. Marik grinned.

"Glad you like it," he said. He looked at a clock on the wall. "Should we get heading back pretty soon?" Malik nodded.

"Yeah, before we get caught," he said, and sighed. Marik raised an eyebrow, but decided not to ask why Malik seemed disappointed. He and Malik cleaned up their plates and flew away. "Hey, wait," Malik said, stopping in mid-flight. Marik blinked and stopped as well. "What's that place?" He pointed to a theme park.

"Oh, that's an amusement park. Basically, you go there and go on rides and stuff," Marik explained. "Do you wanna go?" Malik shrugged.

"Sure, I guess," he said, seemingly apathetic about it. They flew down towards it and landed right in the center. "What's that thing?" Malik asked, pointing again.

"A merry-go-round," Marik said. "See those horses? You ride on them and it moves around in a circle, and the horses go up and down. It's mostly for little kids, though."

"I want to try it," Malik said, walking towards it. Marik mentally groaned. He'd always hated merry-go-rounds, ever since the day he got off one and threw up all over the place. Worst of all, he'd just eaten.

"Alright. I guess that we don't have to worry about being caught here. Even if there are any guards, they can't do anything, can they?" Marik said, and snickered. He managed to turn on the thing, and climbed on with Malik. He closed his eyes throughout the entire thing, just in case, but heard Malik laughing in front of him. _Does he really like this_ that _much?_ he thought, and opened an eye. Malik did seem to be enjoying himself, but who could blame him? This was his first time doing…everything. Marik smiled and the ride stopped.

"Now what?" Malik asked, climbing off.

"We could just hang out here. There's a lot to do," Marik replied. They walked around a bit more, but not before Marik decided to set the merry-go-round so it would stay on all night and all day.

"How about that next?" Malik asked, pointing to a very large rollercoaster. Marik grinned.

"Yeah! Let's go!" he said, and ran to it, dragging Malik behind. While Malik climbed in and buckled up, Marik turned it on. Just before it could start moving, however, he flew over and sat next to Malik. The ride began moving slowly at first, but it sped up eventually. As they came to the first hill, Malik sighed.

"This is boring," he complained.

"It'll get better. Just wait," Marik said, grinning. At the top of the hill, the ride paused dramatically. Malik peered over the edge.

"Oh, crap," he mumbled. They fell about fifty to seventy-five feet, screaming. Malik was grinning widely, laughing again. "This is better than flying!" he yelled as they came to the first loop. The ride finally stopped, and they got off. Malik was still laughing. "Oh man, nothing can be better than that," he said, dizzy from the many spirals on the ride. Marik grinned and Malik leaned on him.

"Are you gonna topple over or something?" he asked. Malik nodded.

"Yeah, probably," he said. "Can we come again tomorrow?" Marik nodded.

"Sure! Let's head back to the Afterlife." They flew into the sky and managed to find the Diamond Hole, where they came out. "Where do you live?" Marik asked, looking to Malik.

"I just wander," Malik replied.

"Do you want to stay at my house for now?" Marik offered. Malik shook his head and glared.

"I'm perfectly happy wandering, just so you know," he said sharply.

"Alright, alright." Marik rolled his eyes. "Well, see you tomorrow," he said. Malik flew away without one word, and Marik returned home. By the time he returned, it had gotten very late. He crawled into his bed and decided to rest, though he wasn't tired at all. He just wanted to sleep.

-

Marik and Malik returned to the theme park again the next day, as Marik had promised. They went on all the rides, along with other, living people. Of course, they couldn't be seen. Marik played a few pranks on them, such as stealing their food and making it "float," or grabbing them by the collar so they couldn't move.

Later, he and Malik flew around the entire world, taking a tour of each of the continents.

"Those are the pyramids of Egypt. They're kinda like the ones the Mayans built, but they're still different. Anyway, over there you can see one of the early Egyptian pyramids, the step pyramid. That evolved from the _mastaba_, and the step pyramid evolved into the bent pyramid. Those large columns over there are obelisks," Marik said, pointing out the gigantic structures.

"There weren't very many pharaohs, then. The civilization didn't last all that long," Malik commented.

"Actually, most were buried in the Valley of the Kings," Marik replied. They continued along, going through India, Russia, Japan, and Australia, and eventually landed up in America. "This is where I used to live. My parents were from Egypt, though," Marik said, smiling slightly.

"So your parents are still alive?" Malik asked, raising an eyebrow. Marik nodded and sighed slightly.

"Yeah. They always told me to outlive them, though," he said softly.

"I…I wish that I could have had parents who would say that to me," Malik said in a mumble. Marik blinked and looked at him.

"I thought you hated your parents," he said. Malik glared.

"I do! And I always will. But I just wish that I could have truly met them. Or at least my dad. He wouldn't have killed me like my mother did," Malik spat the word "mother" with hatred in his voice. "It's her fault that I never even got the chance to be alive. It's her fault that I never got to do what I did today while I was alive." He sighed and stopped glaring. "I just wanted a chance. But it's too late for that." He sighed softly and took Marik's hand. Marik blinked, not knowing why he made the movement, but allowed him to continue anyway. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling at all, but it made Marik want to cringe. He'd never held hands with a boy while he was alive. Only girls.

"Should we head back to the Afterlife?" Marik asked after a moment. Malik nodded. They'd spent all day here, and it was time to head back. They flew back through the Diamond Hole, only to find that it was raining in the Afterlife. Malik sighed, gazing up into the sky and letting the rain hit his face.

"Do you want to come back to my home tonight?" Marik offered. "It'll be too cold out here." Malik frowned, as though he didn't like the idea, but he needed to accept it.

"Alright," he finally said. Marik smiled and led him to his home. They went inside, and Marik dried off with a towel.

"Here," he said, handing to Malik, who dried off as well. "I forgot to create a guest room, but I suppose I can do it now." Marik imagined a guest room forming inside his house, but nothing changed. He frowned and tried again, not wanting to have to make Malik sleep on the couch.

"Well?" Malik asked.

"Sorry," Marik said. "I can't get it to work. You can have my bed if you want." Malik shrugged.

"Alright then. I don't see why we just share, though. It makes more sense," he said dully.

"If you insist," Marik said, shrugging. They went up to his room and climbed into bed. "Good night, Malik," Marik said, pulling the blanket up.

"Mmn," Malik replied, turning so his back was to Marik's. Marik shivered slightly, feeling Malik's wings brush his own. He instinctively pulled his own away, folding them tightly against his back, but he couldn't help but wonder what the jolt of electricity that shot through his entire body meant.

-

Marik and Malik decided to stay in the Afterlife the next day since the guards were more alert than usual. They even had patrols going around the huge city, and some people were questioned.

"What's going on?" Marik asked Malik, who seemed accustomed to this.

"Every five years or so the Deities will allow the people in Hell to come visit their families up here," he said.

"So is your mom coming?" Marik asked. Malik shook his head.

"She still has two thousand years of punishment left," he replied with a slight snicker. "Only those who have finished their punishments are allowed to come up. And it's only for a week, anyway. You can recognize the people who have gone to Hell. See their wings?" Malik pointed at a man with gnarled bat wings.

"Oh. So if you go to Hell, you get batwings instead?" Marik asked. Malik nodded.

"All of the people who go to Hell are the ones who have raped people of any age, or those who have killed anyone under the age of a week," he explained.

"What happens to babies who die after they're born, but the mother drank a lot during pregnancy and that affected them?" Marik asked.

"The babies will come to the Afterlife and get gray wings. The mothers will go to Hell, unless someone slipped something into her drink," Malik replied. "In that case, the person who slipped the drug will go to Hell and get an even more severe punishment than the mother would if she drank on purpose."

"Ah," Marik said. "Then what's with all the questionings and such?"

"Only those who have family that are currently in the Afterlife are allowed to leave Hell to visit them. The families are questioned about the individual, and if it's confirmed that the person has family up here, then they can leave," Malik replied.

"I was wondering, by the way," Marik said. "There aren't many old people here. Wouldn't there be a lot?"

"You can choose your age-appearance. You can be ten one day and eighty the next. I guess that most people like to be in their prime age," Malik said. Marik thought of the kid on the tour and wondered if he was really just a kid.

"So how old are you?" Marik asked.

"I'm technically zero. Your age doesn't change when you die. But your appearance can. I prefer to look around sixteen," Malik said, and glared suddenly. "You ask a lot of questions."

"Well, so do you, when we're in the Living World," Marik shot back. They were silent, ignoring each other a moment.

"Hey," Malik suddenly said, breaking the silence.

"What?" Marik asked.

"What are those two doing?" Malik pointed at a couple who were both currently engaged in a lusty kiss.

"You've never seen that before?" Marik asked, incredulous.

"Is he trying to eat her face or something?" Malik said, raising an eyebrow.

"No. It's called kissing. You do it with someone you love or someone you're dating," Marik explained with a snort at Malik's previous question. Malik frowned, narrowing his eyes, as though he was thinking.

"It still looks like their trying to eat each other," he said dully.

"Whatever. But they aren't." They continued walking.

"I want to try that," Malik said suddenly.

"Kissing? You probably wouldn't let anyone, knowing you," Marik commented with mock thoughtfulness. Malik glared.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to try something, is there?" he asked and raised an eyebrow. "So come on. Let's kiss or whatever." Evidently, Malik didn't get the "Birds and the Bees" talk.

"Two boys don't kiss," Marik replied stubbornly.

"Yeah, but who's to say that they can't?" Malik asked, mocking Marik from a few nights before. Marik scowled slightly.

"Well, they can't," he said. Malik suddenly grabbed him by the face and pressed his lips to Marik's in a rough and slightly clumsy kiss. Marik pulled away, flustered.

"There. They can," Malik said, smirking in triumph. "I don't see what the big deal is. Kissing is overrated." He walked away and Marik bristled.

"O-overrated?" he repeated. Malik nodded.

"That's what I said," he replied.

"My kissing is not overrated! If anyone's kissing is overrated, it's yours!" Marik countered, getting quite defensive of himself. Malik paused, staring at him like he was insane.

"Sheesh, it's not a big deal. It's just kissing," he said, and turned away again.

"I'll show you 'just kissing!'" Marik lurched forward, grabbed Malik's shoulders, spun him around, and crushed his lips against Malik's. Both boys were tense at first, but eventually, Malik's body went lax. The only tenseness that remained in him was in his fingers as he gripped Marik's shoulders. Eventually, Marik found himself pinning Malik to the wall of some building, still attacking his mouth.

But the most exciting part of all was the fact that Malik was kissing him back. And it wasn't done shyly, or even hesitantly, Malik kissed back with such passion that it seemed as though the two were actually in love.

Marik stepped out of his body to watch himself a moment. Or at least he seemed to. He realized that kissing Malik was a world better than kissing any girl. For once, he wasn't doing all the work. For once, the kissee was the kisser as well.

Only when they pulled away did Marik realize what had just happened. He was stunned a moment, only able to gaze right into Malik's eyes, which didn't seem as cold as they once were. Malik gazed right back, panting slightly.

"I take it back," he murmured quietly. Marik gasped and instantly pulled away, flicking around. A crimson blush covered his face, and Malik blinked. "What is it?" he asked in the most caring tone he could muster.

"That wasn't supposed to happen like that," Marik hissed in a mumble. Malik blinked again.

"What?" he asked.

"Don't talk to me!" Marik yelled, not looking at Malik. He shivered, holding his head and ignoring Malik's glares.

"What's gotten into you all of a sudden??!" Malik demanded angrily. Marik quivered a final time and took wing into the open air, refusing to look back. He ignored Malik's yells and demands as he squeezed his eyes shut and flew home.

-

Marik sat in his room alone that night, trying to forget what had just happened between him and Malik. But he couldn't get the images and feelings out of his head. Malik sweet lips, his tender touch, his lusty gaze. Marik cringed and held his head. He tried to convince himself that it was a horrid sensation, but there was no denying that he'd thoroughly enjoyed it. There was even less denying that he wanted to do it again. And again. And again.

Marik swung his legs up onto the bed and clutched them to his chest. He could almost clearly hear his mother saying, "When boys are truly lonely, they hug their knees like that." He almost laughed slightly. He wasn't lonely—he wanted to be alone. At the moment, though, he just wanted to hold something—nothing more.

The teen closed his eyes and shivered, folding his wings around his body. Was getting white wings really worth all this? Maybe he could wait until a girl was aborted—no, that sounded too selfish. Marik groaned and closed his eyes.

The doorbell suddenly rang, and Marik almost fell off the bed in surprise. He hurried down the stairs to answer it, but stopped short of opening the door. What if it was Malik? Then what would he do? He decided to take his chances, hoping that it was someone, anyone else. Luck was on his side; Ryou was standing in front of him, wings folded neatly behind his back.

"Ryou, what are you doing here?" Marik asked, smiling. "Come in." He stood aside and Ryou walked in and sat down without a word.

"We need to talk about something important, Marik," Ryou said softly, and seriously. Marik blinked and sat down in the chair across from him.

"What's that?" he asked cautiously.

"Here in the Afterlife, kissing is taken quite seriously." Ryou looked up at Marik through unblinking eyes. Marik wished that he could offer Ryou some coffee, and he almost did, but he realized that they couldn't drink it.

"What…do you mean?" Marik asked nervously.

"I know that you and Malik kissed earlier today. He came to me and told me," Ryou said. Marik paused a long moment.

"Is it a crime or something to kiss someone?" Marik asked softly.

"No, but if you're going to kiss someone up here, you're expected to be happy about it afterwards. Normally we don't monitor such a thing closely, but because Malik came to me and told me that you ran away afterwards, I had to come here."

"What'd he say?"

"Malik was quite upset about it." Ryou closed his eyes, as though looking back. "He thought that he'd done something wrong. In fact, he was in tears by the time he finished telling me." He reopened his eyes as Marik gasped.

"But…why?"

"Marik, think about it. Malik hasn't really lived before. He doesn't know what two men kissing means, and he definitely doesn't know why you were so upset. Malik has never experienced culture and society on earth. He doesn't know that when two men kiss, it's usually frowned upon in most places. Because he never witnessed homophobia, he doesn't know what's so 'wrong' about two men kissing," Ryou said. "Marik, I ask you to go apologize to him for running off like that."

"I can't face him again!" Marik cried, holding his head again. "It was all a misunderstanding. It was a mistake! I never meant to do it!" Ryou frowned.

"Fine," he said simply. "I'll tell him what you said. Good bye." He left without another word, closing the door behind him.

-

Weeks passed by slowly, and soon the leaves on the trees began turning red. Marik felt more alone than ever in this world, even when Seto and Jou stopped by. He left the house one day, and tripped over a stone on the porch. Marik blinked, wondering how it got there.

When he looked closer at it, he noticed that it was weighing down a long, pure-white feather.

Marik gasped, staring at it in disbelief. He looked around after picking it up, desperately searching for its owner. He took wing into the sky and saw a person with white wings flying away from his home. Marik followed after him, still clutching the feather.

"Malik!" he cried. "Malik!" Malik finally landed in the park Marik had first found him. Marik landed as well and hurried up to him. Malik looked over his shoulder at him dully.

"Marik. Long time no see," he said, turning around slowly.

"Why?" Marik asked, winded. Malik raised an eyebrow.

"Why what?" he replied simply, obviously playing dumb. Marik held up the feather.

"Why did you leave this on my porch?" Malik shrugged and looked away with just his eyes.

"It took me a while to realize it, but you made me happy. Very happy. If it weren't for you, I never would have experienced what I did," he muttered.

"But…I ran away from you."

"Does it look like I care?" Malik snapped, glaring at Marik again. "Just accept the damned thing." Marik frowned, shaking his head.

"I can't," he said softly.

"And why not?" Malik asked, obviously surprised, but doing his best to hide it.

"Because it just feels wrong to take this from you. Especially when I ran away like that, and didn't apologize right away," Marik explained nervously.

"Just take it. I gave it to you," Malik insisted. "Besides, don't you want white wings?"

"I don't care about the wings anymore. Even if I did, I still wouldn't take it," Marik replied. He handed the feather back to Malik, who twirled it between two fingers.

"Are you sure?" Malik asked. Marik nodded and the feather became dust. "Well? Now what are you going to do, head back home or something?" Malik asked dully. Marik shrugged.

"I don't know. But…I'm sorry for running away after that. It—."

"I know, I know. It was a misunderstanding, a total mistake," Malik finished for him. Marik blinked, swearing that he thought Malik looked disappointed.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly. Malik nodded.

"Yeah. I'm fine," he replied, though his voice cracked and quivered. His eyes seemed to water a bit, and he quickly turned away. "W-well, I'm going." Before he could take off, Marik clapped a hand over his shoulder.

"Why are you crying?" he asked gently. Malik hung his head and wiped away a few fallen tears.

"I'm not," he muttered.

"Yes you are. Just tell me why," Marik insisted. There was a long pause.

"Why did it have to be a mistake?" Malik whispered. "Why couldn't it be something more?" He was sobbing silently now. "It's like my life. Obviously, if I wasn't wanted, then I must have been a mistake, too." Marik gasped as Malik shivered beneath his touch.

"You…"

"You told me that when two people love each other, they kiss. Then why don't you love me?" Malik suddenly gave a harsh laugh. "Tch. How could anyone love me, the introverted, rude, and worthless abortee? Everyone in the Afterlife has had a chance to live, except me. How could I possibly connect with anyone? How could they possibly _want_ to connect with me? I might as well give up."

"Don't say that about yourself!" Marik argued. "Obviously, we had a connection, didn't we? At the theme park, in the living world, and whenever we spoke? Or was that nothing to you??!" Malik looked up at him through tear-filled eyes.

"They meant everything to me, Marik. But you've already said that you don't love me, so they obviously meant nothing to you." He pulled away from Marik and flew away, not knowing where he was going.

"Malik!" Marik cried, flying after him. Malik ignored his cries, squeezing his eyes shut against the wind. He didn't want to see or speak to Marik again—it hurt too much. The man had mended his broken, bitter soul—but now he was breaking his heart. He wiped tears from his eyes, and landed in a crowded area where he could easily get hidden from Marik.

Marik scanned the crowd, but Malik was keeping his wings hidden. He couldn't pick him out from the vast number of people here. Marik gave up and decided to return home. On his way back, he bumped into a woman.

"Oof! Sorry," he said quickly. He suddenly gasped, staring at her wings. They were gnarled, black bat wings, showing that she had come from Hell. She frowned uncomfortably and looked away.

"S-sorry," she said, and suddenly paused. "C-could I ask you a question?" Marik nodded warily. "The Deities told me that I could come up here to meet my child. They only told me that he was male, his name was Malik, and he had pure-white wings. Do you know anyone like that?" she asked. Marik gasped, eyes widening.

"P-pure-white wings?" he repeated. She nodded.

"I suppose that you don't, then," she muttered. "Thank you, anyway."

"Wait! I do know Malik!" Marik said quickly. She gasped, staring at him. "I met him my first day here. I was talking to him just a bit ago. I'll try to take you to him, if you want. He doesn't have a permanent home here, so I can't quite guarantee it…" She bowed her head.

"Thank you so much," she whispered. Marik nodded and they flew around, searching. Marik finally found him, sitting in the park, alone again. They landed and Malik looked to Marik.

"What do you want??!" he yelled angrily. Marik held up his hands.

"I…I think that this is your mother," he said softly. "She's been allowed to come up here to meet you, and she asked me to take her to you." Malik glared, hatred burning in his eyes.

"Why would I even want to see the woman who murdered me??!" he demanded. "How dare you even think to bring her here!" Malik's mother faltered, tears in her eyes, and Malik looked away. Marik paused, looking at the woman. She was young, probably just about seventeen. She obviously wasn't a prostitute—she seemed like that innocent girl who'd suddenly turned up pregnant at school one day.

"Listen, Malik, she--," Marik started, but he cut off, not able to find the right words.

"I'm sorry," Malik's mother murmured in a very soft tone. Malik blinked, looking up.

"What did you just say?" he asked.

"I'm sorry. I knew that you'd hate me—I just didn't want to believe it. I won't ask you to forgive me," she said, a little louder this time. Malik frowned, walking over to her.

"Why are you apologizing? You killed me without remorse, yet you're saying sorry?" he said suspiciously. She began crying now, the tears finally flowing down her face.

"I…I didn't want to," she whispered. Malik raised an eyebrow.

"What? Obviously you did, because if you hadn't, you wouldn't have done it in the first place!" he said, glaring again.

"My boyfriend and I…we loved each other," she murmured. Marik blinked, wondering where this was leading. "One night, when we…made love to each other, the condom broke. He freaked out, and told me to get a pregnancy test. So I did, and they came back positive. I was scared, too, but I didn't tell anyone until a couple months had passed. Finally, when I did tell him, he forced me to get an abortion. I told him that I wouldn't, but then he threatened to break up with me."

"That's stupid," Malik hissed. She nodded.

"I know. But he was my life back then. I couldn't imagine a world without him. So I…I had the abortion." She was sobbing now, but somehow managed to keep control of her vocal cords. "I was such an idiot. I hated myself for it. I knew that my parents would support me and you, but I still had it anyway. I broke up with my boyfriend a few months later, and then, a few months after that, I killed myself." She fisted her hands. "I never should have listened to that bastard. I never should have done that. I deserve whatever you say to me."

Malik stared at her a long while.

"You didn't…want to have the abortion?" he muttered. She nodded. "You actually wanted me?" She nodded again. "And you regret it…even now, after so many years have passed?" She nodded a third and final time, and Malik began crying again. "What's your name?"

"Maria," she replied. "And you're Malik, right?" He nodded once, and she smiled. "I'm so happy that I finally got to meet you. I just wish that it wasn't here," she whispered.

"I-I don't care. It's all I know," Malik replied softly.

"I wish it wasn't." Marik just had to smile at all this.

"Why didn't you tell me all this?" Malik asked.

"I couldn't. You wouldn't have heard when my boyfriend told me to do it, and I didn't get to tell you after I died," she whispered.

"Dammit, because I would have forgiven you a lot sooner than this, I'm sure," Malik mumbled, wiping his eyes. He hugged her tightly, sobbing, and Marik smiled. Ryou had been right—it really was easy to learn to forgive here.

"You actually forgive me for…for all I took from you?" Maria whispered. Malik nodded briskly, and she cried again, wrapping her arms around him.

"Thank you so much," she whispered to Malik. He nodded.

"Thank you for telling me all that. I never would have forgiven you if you hadn't come here," he said softly. She smiled just as a worker flew over and landed next to them.

"Ma'am," he said, folding his blue wings neatly, "it's time for you to go back." She pulled away from Malik, and nodded. Malik gasped.

"No, I want her to stay here!" he argued, glaring at the worker. The worker frowned sadly at them.

"I'm sorry, but I nor you have any say in this. Since she's already been to Hell, she needs to carry out the rest of her punishment there," he said.

"But that isn't fair! Malik forgave her, she should be allowed to stay here," Marik said, glaring as well.

"The Dark Deities still have a hold of her. But because Malik forgave her, her punishment time will be cut," the worker said.

"How long is it now?" Malik asked, tears forming in his eyes again.

"Only ten more years, and she'll be free," the worker said. "If you hadn't forgiven her, she'd be down there another two-thousand years, so you definitely made a difference." Malik narrowed his eyes at him.

"That's still too long," he hissed.

"Malik, I'll be fine," Maria said softly, touching Malik's arm gently. "It's just ten more years, then I'll come back. I need to carry out the rest of my punishment for what I've done. I thank you for forgiving me, but I deserve any punishment I receive." She smiled sadly, and Malik stared at her, disbelieving.

"But…mother, you can't," he whispered.

"I need to," she replied simply. Malik gave a short sob and hugged her tightly. "I'll miss you, Malik, but I will come back."

"I know," he managed out. The worker stepped forward.

"Ready, ma'am?" he said. She pulled away and nodded again. He took her hand and they disappeared in a swirl of black smoke, but not before Maria turned and waved good-bye to Malik. Malik stared a long moment at the place his mother once stood, silent.

"Ten years," he mumbled. "She'll be suffering for ten years for something she was forced to do. Something she didn't want to do in the first place." Marik wrapped an arm around Malik's shoulders.

"It'll go by quickly," he said gently. "I'm sure that when she thinks of you, she'll be happy, even down there. A mother never hates her kid. No matter what happens." Malik hung his head and turned to look at Marik.

"Could you hold me?" he muttered. Marik nodded, and hugged Malik gently. Malik closed his eyes against Marik's chest, still crying.

"Want to go to my place?" Marik offered after a few minutes. Malik nodded and they flew to Marik's home together. Malik curled up on the couch there, holding his knees to his chest. Marik sat next to him, smiling gently.

"Y' know, my mom always told me that when a boy hugs his knees, he's lonely," he said. Malik sighed.

"Of course I am," he muttered. "My mom won't be here for ten years, and you don't love me." He looked away from Marik, frowning.

"Malik, how long ago did I kiss you?" Marik asked, sitting back.

"A month or so," Malik replied, glaring slightly.

"And you think that I haven't thought about you during that month?" Marik said, smiling.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Malik said dully.

"Think about it. Right after we kissed, I couldn't stop thinking about you," Marik replied. "Today, I chased after you when you flew away, and I tried to find you. What does that tell you?" Malik paused, thinking about it.

"That you wanted to tell me something?" he guessed, looking to Marik, confused. Marik nodded.

"What do you think I wanted to tell you?" he asked. Malik thought again, then his eyes widened.

"You--!" Marik captured him in a tight embrace, and Malik hugged him back.

"I'm sorry it took so long for me to figure out. Malik, I do love you. And I'll never run away from you again," Marik murmured. Malik sobbed, clutching the fabric of Marik's shirt.

"Dammit, why didn't you just _say_ so??!" he whispered.

"You wouldn't let me," Marik replied simply. Malik pulled away and Marik kissed him gently. After a moment of gazing at each other, Malik tugged a feather out of his wing. He held it in front of Marik.

"Now will you accept it?" he asked. Marik smiled and nodded, taking the feather. Instantly, his wings shivered and changed from black to pure-white. The only black feathers that remained on his wings were on the very tips.

"Thank you," Marik whispered, hugging Malik again. Malik smiled, nuzzling his face.

"I love you, Marik," he whispered back.

"I love you too, Malik," Marik murmured, stroking Malik's hair.

-

Ten years passed by quickly, as Marik had said. Malik's mother returned to them, and was quite happy to see that her son had found love, even after death. Malik moved in with Marik, and planned on staying with him for all of eternity.

End

Mew: So, what'd you think? Controversial or what? You can probably guess what my views on abortion are, but in case you don't, I don't like it. Originally, Malik was going to be all forgiving and happy and such because his mother didn't have the cash to take care of him plus his other siblings, but no. If your mother had taken away everything from you before you could even receive it, wouldn't you be pretty damn bitter? I sure as hell would be.

Draiku: Damn, you're being political.

Mew: Oh, hush. You're just jealous because you're just a muse.

Draiku: You shut up about that.

Yoko: Alright then. Please R&R, everyone! We'd love to hear your thoughts on this story in particular, and anything else you want to say about anything mentioned in the fic.


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